Summary
In seven seasons and 178 episodes, only 8 episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generationwere directed by women. From Nichelle Nichols' Lt. Uhura to Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Kathryn Janeway, women have always been an integral part of theStar Trekfranchise on screen.However, this did not always translate to more opportunities for women behind the scenes.Actress Majel Barrett and writer D.C. Fontana both contributed to the success ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesand several episodes were written by women. But noStar Trekepisode was directed by a woman untilTNG’sthird season.
Beginning withStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 3, episode 6, “Booby Trap,” eight total episodes ofTNGwere directed by women.Seven of these episodes were directed by British director Gabrielle Beaumont, and one was directed by Dr. Beverly Crusher herself, Gates McFadden.Beaumont went on to direct one episode each ofStar Trek: Deep Space NineandStar Trek: Voyager, and she will always hold the title of the first woman to direct aStar Trekepisode.TNGseason 7, episode 19, “Genesis” remains McFadden’s sole directing credit, but she brilliantly reprised the role of Dr. Crusher inStar Trek: Picardseason 3. Here are all 8TNGepisodes directed by women.
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8"Booby Trap" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 6
While it may not be a perfect episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation,“Booby Trap” has the distinction of being the firstStar Trekepisode to be directed by a woman.When the USS Enterprise-D finds an ancient Promellian battlecruiser adrift in space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) cannot wait to see the historical ship for himself.As Picard and the away team investigate the ship, however, the Enterprise soon gets trapped in the same snare that caught the battlecruiser centuries ago.
As Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) works to find a way out of the predicament, he recruits the help of a holographic version of Dr. Leah Brahms (Susan Gibney), a scientist who helped create the Enterprise’s engines.This storyline gets somewhat awkward when Geordi begins to develop feelings for Brahams,despite the fact that he has never actually met her. While “Booby Trap” would have worked better withoutGeordi’s romantic subplot, the episode still delivers some fun moments.
7"The High Ground" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 12
In astand-out episode for Dr. Beverly Crusher, the USS Enterprise-D gets caught up in a terrorist conflict on the war-torn planet of Rutia IV.When a group of terrorists kidnaps Dr. Crusher, she must hold out until her crew mates find a way to rescue her.“The High Ground” does a good job of depicting the reality of terrorism, both from the side of the terrorists themselves and the security officers opposing them.
As the always compassionate doctor,Beverly does her best to help however she can, eventually coming to sympathize with the terrorists.Still, even she cannot prevent the death of the terrorist leader. With a compelling turn as a guest star, Kerrie Keane brings Alexana Devos to life as the head of Rutian security, making “The High Ground” a story of strong women. It’s appropriate, then, that the episode was written and directed by women, and it remains a solidTNGstory.
6"Suddenly Human" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 4
When the Enterprise responds to a distress call from a Talarian ship, they find a human teenager among the crew. The boy, who goes by Jono (Chad Allen), had been orphaned ten years before when the Talarians killed his parents.The Talarians have raised Jono as their own, and he has come to see himself as one of them.Although Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew members try to convince Jono to return to the Federation, he insists on remaining with the Talarians.
Throughout “Suddenly Human,” Jono becomes friends withEnsign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton)and begins to view Captain Picard as a mentor. When Jono expresses his fear of betraying his Talarian father,Picard realizes that he has been viewing the situation through an entirely human lens.In the end, Jono returns with the Talarians, which feels like a bit of a foregone conclusion, but the episode still has its moments.
5"Disaster" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 5
In this incredibly funStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode, several USS Enterprise-D crew members are stranded in various parts of the ship when all of the systems suddenly shut down.Captain Picard finds himself trapped in the turbolift with three frightened children,whileCounselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) is left in chargeon the bridge. In Ten Forward, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) hilariously acts as a midwife for Keiko O’Brien (Rosalind Chao), while Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) work to save the ship.
While the story may not be revolutionary, every major character gets something to do inStar Trek: The Next Generation’s “Disaster,” with Picard and Troi, in particular, getting stand-out moments.Picard’s story with the children is incredibly charming and Troi makes some smart calls that ultimately help save the day.A bottle episode set entirely aboard the Enterprise, “Disaster” offers a glimpse of some underused areas of the ship and the directing keeps the whole thing feeling tense.
4"Imaginary Friend" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 22
When ayoung girl named Clara Sutter (Noley Thornton)moves to the USS Enterprise-D with her father, she creates an imaginary friend named Isabella (Shay Astar).When Isabella appears one day, seeming to be real, she gets Clara into trouble.Clara eventually reaches out to Counselor Troi, who helps her navigate her feelings. After Isabella attacks Troi, Picard and the Enterprise crew members discover that she is actually an energy-based alien lifeform.
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Captain Picard sits down and chats with Isabella about why children need to listen to adults sometimes, and Isabella eventually allows the Enterprise to pass safely through the nebula where she lives. While Picard’s speech may seem overly simplistic to adults,“Imaginary Friend” does a good job of exploring how the loneliness of living on a starship would affect a young child.Plus, Noley Thornton is adorable as Clara and Troi gets to prove why she’s a great counselor.
3"Face of the Enemy" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 14
In this Deanna Troi-centric episode, the USS Enterprise-D’s Counselor finds herself on an undercover mission disguised as a Romulan. Troi then has to pose as Major Rakal of the Romulan secret police known as the Tal Shiar.Troi learns that she has been recruited for a mission to help a high-ranking Romulan defect to the Federation.Marina Sirtis did not always get much to do as Counselor Troi, be she admirably rises to the occasion here.
Troi navigates her situation well, proving that she should have been given the spotlight more often. In the end,the Enterprise arrives in time to rescue both Troi and the Romulan defector just as their ruse has been discovered.“Face of the Enemy” also serves as a follow-up toTNG’s"Unification" two-parter and thework Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has been doingto reunify the Vulcans and Romulans.
2"Lower Decks" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7, Episode 15
One ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’smost heartbreaking episodesshifts the focus to a group of junior officers aboard the Starship Enterprise.When theBajoran Ensign Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill)is recruited for a top-secret mission, she works with Worf and Captain Picard to prepare.Meanwhile, Sito and her friends discuss their hopes for promotions over games of poker. Tragically, Sito is killed by Cardassians while on the covert mission, to the horror of her friends.
Shannon Fill briefly reprised the role of Sito Jaxa for a flashback inStar Trek: Lower Decks,the animated series that was loosely inspired by this episode.
By cutting between the senior officers' regular poker games and the young officers playing poker, “Lower Decks” shows the similarities between the two groups.While the senior officers may be the ones who save the day from the bridge, it takes an entire crew to run the ship.Sito’s death highlights the dangers of life as a Starfleet officer and shows that every casualty affects Picard and his crew.
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1"Genesis" Directed By Gates McFadden
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7, Episode 19
In her one and only directing credit, Gates McFadden got to take on one ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’s most bizarre episodes. In “Genesis,“a mutated cell fromLt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz)spreads throughout the crew, causing them to de-evolve. Captain Picard and Data return from retrieving a wayward torpedo to find thatTroi has become an amphibian, Riker a caveman, and Lt. Barclay a spider-like creature.
Data eventually finds a cure, releasing it into the ship’s ventilation system and reverting everyone back to normal. In the end,Dr. Crusher names the condition"Barclay’s protomorphosis syndrome"after its patient zero,and Barclay winds up with a lot to discuss in therapy with Counselor Troi. “Genesis” may tell a weird story, but McFadden’s directing makes the episode suitably scary and it remains one ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’smost memorable moments.
